


Disconnected

by greatresponsibilities (BlankPages2023)



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Gen, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, Peter Parker Angst, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Protective Tony Stark, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-24
Updated: 2020-11-24
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:21:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27694774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlankPages2023/pseuds/greatresponsibilities
Summary: Peter had followed Connors down here, through the sewers and into this massive chamber. There were tables covered in papers and scientific equipment, and photos and mathematical equations tacked to the walls. Peter only got a quick look at what Connors was working on before he noticed him. And then Connors. . . changed.“I can help you, I can get you better!” Peter narrowly missed another swipe of a claw.“But I am better, Spider-Man. I’ve never felt more myself!”Peter had almost reached the top of the scaffolding. If he could just make it to the ceiling. . . . He stretched an arm out, ready to shoot a web, when the thick trunk of a tail wrapped around his stomach like a vice.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 69





	Disconnected

**Author's Note:**

> I actually wrote something, guys! (If you've seen my still-uncompleted fic, no you haven't)   
> Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this one and I'm so proud I finished it. Happy reading!  
> (And enjoy the nods to the Amazing Spider-Man movie lol)

“Dr. Connors, I think we can still work this out,” Peter said, dodging a massive claw as it swiped over his head. He raced up the metal scaffolding attached to the wall.

“I disagree,” the Lizard replied, scaling the scaffolding after him. Peter was surprised by how fast the big guy could move.

“If you would just hear me out—” Something snagged on Peter’s leg. He kicked out and kept climbing, not daring to look down. 

Peter had followed Connors down here, through the sewers and into this massive chamber. There were tables covered in papers and scientific equipment, and photos and mathematical equations tacked to the walls. Peter only got a quick look at what Connors was working on before he noticed him. And then Connors. . . changed. 

“I can help you, I can get you better!” Peter narrowly missed another swipe of a claw. 

“But I am better, Spider-Man. I’ve never felt more myself!” 

Peter had almost reached the top of the scaffolding. If he could just make it to the ceiling. . . . He stretched an arm out, ready to shoot a web, when the thick trunk of a tail wrapped around his stomach like a vice. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” The Lizard sneered, pulling Peter closer to his toothy grin. Peter struggled to break free, causing the Lizard to grip him tighter. He shifted his immense weight on the metal beam he clung to; it didn’t seem to enjoy supporting the two of them. The entire structure creaked and swayed with every movement. 

Peter immediately stopped squirming, realizing just how high up they were. “Dr. Connors, I know you’re still in there and that you know this isn’t natural. Maybe one day we’ll figure out how to grow back limbs, but—” 

“But I did figure it out!” The Lizard shook Peter and gripped him even tighter, making him gasp for air. “So there were some. . . unintended effects. I like the new me. I think everyone else will like it too,” he said, gazing down at the large device splayed across the table far below. 

Peter took his chance. He shot a web at the ceiling and pulled as hard as he could. The Lizard whipped his head back and snarled. Peter felt the tail fall away from his middle. He’d just cleared the scaffolding when he felt the Lizard’s barb-like claws pierce and rake down his back. He cried out. The Lizard tugged him back, but Peter darted to the side, towards the outer edge of the structure. He held on, trying to recover as the Lizard lumbered sideways after him. The scaffolding bowed and shook, threatening to topple over. The Lizard made one last leap for him before the structure pulled away from the wall. 

Peter clung to the metal beam, terrified. He felt a single claw graze his cheek, ripping his mask away and tearing a gash in his skin. Without thinking, he landed a solid kick to the Lizard’s jaw, making him slip and taking Peter’s mask with him. Just before the scaffolding hit the ground, Peter jumped as hard as he could towards the outer edge. Something sharp went straight through his calf as he hit the cement, hard. He yelped, metal clanging and crashing down around him.

The shock from the fall sent a tremor down his body. He looked back at his legs. He was on his side, legs pinned down by the very top of the scaffolding. He would have cleared the whole thing had he not been stabbed with a jagged piece of metal, which had gone straight through the soft part of his left calf and lodged itself into the floor. 

Ignoring the searing heat in his leg, Peter scoped out the wreckage as best he could given his awkward angle on the floor. There was no sign of the Lizard anywhere; there was, however, a particularly large mound of rubble which Peter assumed was covering the body. He stared at it, his every muscle tensed, waiting for the mound to move, but nothing happened. He returned his attention to his leg. 

Normally, he would have been able to lift up the beams long enough to slip out from under them. But the piece of metal pinning his leg into the floor like a butterfly in a glass case was a completely different story. Blood was already oozing down his back and face, and pooling around his wounded leg. Even if he could manage to yank the metal free, was he sure he wanted to?

Peter felt the loss of his mask. His eyes darted around desperately to spot a red piece of fabric, but he couldn’t see it anywhere. It was probably pinned under the Lizard, under all that metal. Without his mask, he couldn’t contact Tony or anyone else for help. He was completely alone. If he didn’t free himself now, he wasn’t sure if he’d make it out at all. A slim chance was better than no chance, he thought, grimacing. 

He twisted around and found the metal piece stuck in his leg and wrapped his fingers around it. With his other hand he gripped the largest beam going across his legs. “On the count of three,” he whispered. “One, two. . .” With all his strength, he pulled the metal up. His eyes welled with tears. His hands slipped and the beams came crashing back down, the bar still firmly lodged in his calf. He bit back a scream, his vision going black and blurry. Blood rushed in his ears and his head fell to the ground. The pain in his leg washed over his whole body. He drifted away, breathing shallowly and succumbing to darkness. 

***

Peter woke up to the sound of running water. It was gushing, really. Eyes still closed, he took another breath and started choking; opening his eyes he found that the floor was under an inch or two of water. A pipe had broken when the scaffolding collapsed, a massive one that was currently draining water into the chamber by the ton. At the rate it was flowing, he’d be underwater in twenty minutes. And a sharp pain in Peter’s leg reminded him he was trapped. 

Swallowing the urge to pass out again, Peter sat up as far as he could. He needed to call Tony, reach him somehow. If he only had the mask. . . but no, he had to think of something else. Come on, Peter, think, he thought to himself as panic rose in his chest. How to reach Tony without calling. . . . He suddenly remembered the sensors Tony had shown him one time, the ones in his suit that measured his heart rate, breathing, everything. And he remembered that there was a protocol, named something embarrassing, where FRIDAY alerted Tony if there was ever anything critically wrong—like if his heart stopped beating. 

Peter dug around in the suit where it wrapped around his neck, his fingers running over the tiny wires sewn to the interior. Eventually, he felt the smooth, round surface of what he hoped was a sensor and dug his nail under to rip it out. With a small tearing noise, the metal disc pulled free and fell into the steadily rising water. He silently hoped that it was the right one, but all he could do was wait and see if Tony would show up. 

There was a loud rumbling noise coming from across the room. Peter whipped his head around to look. The mound of rubble that buried the Lizard was shifting slowly. He went completely still, suddenly very aware of how vulnerable he was in his current position on the floor. As carefully as he could, he lowered his body as far to the ground as he could manage, his head just above the level of the water. 

Something made a huge splash. Peter watched, wide eyed, as a green, scale-covered claw grasped at a metal beam, struggling to find a grip. The movement sent shockwaves through the rest of the scaffolding and jostled the piece lodged in Peter’s leg. He yelped and slapped his hand over his mouth. The claw froze for a second, then doubled its efforts to pull itself free. 

Peter attempted to get even lower into the water, trying to ignore the throbbing pain racking his body. He fought against the light-headed feeling washing over him, urging his eyes to stay alert. He held his breath, just watching the Lizard still struggling to break free. 

I should have seen this coming, Peter thought, gritting his teeth. I should have stopped him before things got out of hand. But there was no point dwelling on that now. All he should’ve been worried about was making it out of there in one piece. 

Something red floating towards him caught his eye. It was his mask. He threw his arm out to grab it, a sudden desperation taking hold of him. He could get in touch with Tony, make sure he was on his way. But what if he wasn’t? Would he make it in time? Peter thought, straining to reach the mask. Another inch closer and he’d have it. Almost got it—

The ruins of the metal scaffolding cascaded into the water with an unbearable screeching sound. Peter flinched. The Lizard rose from the wreckage, water and blood streaming off of him. There were several metal pieces embedded in his skin, just like Peter. 

Peter looked back to the mask. His heart leaped to his throat when he saw that it was almost out of his reach again. He threw his arm out one more time and— “Yes!” He hooked a finger on it and yanked it back to him. The Lizard roared as Peter pulled the mask over his head. 

“Karen, call Tony, now!” Peter whispered, eyes darting around trying to see where the Lizard had gone. 

Tony answered immediately. “Peter?” He said in a low, deadly calm tone. “Mind telling me why your heart’s not beating?” 

“Oh, thank god,” Peter said, heaving a sigh. He could see the Lizard now, working to pull the metal from his skin bit by bit. He hoped it would distract him long enough for Tony to reach him. 

“Yeah, not seeing why that’s a good thing, at the moment.”

“Means you’re on your way, right?” Peter asked, failing to keep the panic out of his voice. 

“Uh-huh. . .” Tony started. “What’s going on, kid?” He didn’t sound angry anymore. He sounded scared, which did not help with Peter’s nerves. 

“Stuck,” Peter gulped. “In a sewer. With a scientist who’s actually a giant lizard monster and wants to kill me. Oh, and this place is filling up with water, like, really fast.” 

Tony let out an exasperated sigh. Peter could imagine him shaking his head. “Almost there. Just hang on, alright?” Peter nodded without realizing Tony couldn’t see him. “And don’t drown. Or get eaten.”

“I’ll try.” Peter had to sit up to avoid the water rising above his head. It was freezing. The pain in his leg felt more like an ache now, dulled by the chill of the water. The Lizard gave another roar that sent Peter shaking. “I have to be quiet now,” he told Tony, barely audible. 

“Almost there, almost there,” Tony muttered. Peter couldn’t sit up any farther; the water was at the base of his neck now. The Lizard took a step away from the wreckage he’d been trapped under, another step closer to Peter. He hadn’t spotted him yet but his head was turning like he was scanning for a sign of him, his reptilian eyes flicking back and forth.

Tony sounded almost as panicked as Peter felt. “I’m in the sewers, kid, you’ll see me in a couple seconds, I promise, just another second—” At the same time, the Lizard caught sight of Peter. He grinned, tongue lolling out of his mouth. Instead of attacking, he slid into the water and began to slither slowly towards Peter. 

Peter could only stare in horror; the Lizard wanted to torture him, and it was working. And the water had just passed his chin. Hurry, Tony, c’mon. The sound of a rocket came from the entrance behind him and Peter watched as Iron Man swooped overhead and shot a repulsor beam into the water at the Lizard. 

The Lizard screamed and backed off, splashing away to the other end of the room. Peter didn’t see where exactly he went, though. It was all he could do to keep his face above the water, head tilted back awkwardly. Tony made a splash as he landed next to Peter. He knelt down and ripped Peter’s mask off. 

“Hey,” Peter said with a wavering smile, looking into the eyes of Tony’s helmet. “Thanks for getting here so quickly.” 

Tony just growled. “How are you stuck?”

“My leg,” Peter managed to say. He got a mouthful of water and started choking. 

Tony immediately got to work on Peter’s legs. “Deep breath, Pete, I’m gonna get you out, hang on,” he said hurriedly. 

Peter obeyed just as the water rose over his head. He couldn’t see what Tony was doing, but he felt movement by his trapped legs. The pressure lifted, but the metal piece was still stuck in his leg. His lungs started to burn. Another few seconds passed and his vision darkened; he scrunched up his face with the effort of holding his breath. 

A whirring sound and a warmth by his leg brought him back into focus, just a little. He could make out a thin line of light cutting through the dark water by his leg. Laser, Peter thought, more as a detached observation than anything else. 

Then two hands grabbed him under the arms and tugged him out of the water. He coughed and spluttered, gasping for air. Tony turned him around and got him to wrap his arms around his neck. He kicked off from the ground and they were flying before Peter knew it. 

His entire body shivered, teeth chattering as he clung to Tony. Tony tightened his grip on him as they sped through the sewers. “I got you, kid. I got you.” 

The last thing Peter heard before passing out were the roars of the Lizard, echoing off the walls. 

***

Peter woke up to the chill still clinging to his skin. He felt his way around his face, brushing across a bandage on his cheek where the Lizard had scratched him. And the tight fabric wrapping around his middle told him his back had been dressed too. He couldn’t really feel his wounded leg, though. He opened his eyes. Tony was sat in a chair next to the bed he lay in, elbows propped on knees and head in his hands.

Peter tried to sit up, a small groan escaping his mouth. Tony stiffened and lifted his head. They locked eyes. Tony stared up at the ceiling in what seemed like relief, but when he met Peter’s eyes again it was more of a glare. 

“The hell were you thinking, Peter?” Tony asked, shaking his head like he already knew the answer.

Peter cleared his throat. “I was just doing some recon, but he-he saw me and I had to improvise.” 

Tony sat back and rolled his eyes. “‘Improvise,’” he repeated. He paused for a moment. “You scared me real bad, you know that?” Peter opened his mouth but Tony cut him off. “I get an alert from FRIDAY saying you’re not breathing, just like that, poof, no heartbeat. No good reason why.” He exhaled sharply through his nose. “Can’t do that to me, kid.” 

“I know, I know, I’m sorry,” Peter said. “It’s just that I lost my mask and I couldn’t call you, so I thought the only way to get your attention would be to disconnect one of the suit monitors—”

“How about next time you call me before you get shish-kebbabed by two tons of metal.” 

Peter set his jaw and nodded. “I can do that.” 

“Good lad,” Tony said, patting his shoulder. He still seemed on edge, but the anger had drained from his expression, replaced by tired confusion. “Now what’s this about a scientist who’s also a reptile?”


End file.
